Mary Cabriele came to Franklin & Marshall College as anexperienced golfer having won numerous amateur and clubchampionships. Two of the more noteworthy accomplishments includedbeing named the 1979 New York Metropolitan Area Junior Girl'sChampion and qualifying for the National Junior Championships whereshe placed 25th in 1980. Over the years, she also won theWestchester Country Club women's championship five times. Althoughonly 5 feet tall, Cabriele was capable of hitting drives well over200 yards and scored as low as 73. In 1980-81, she became the firstwomen to play and win a varsity letter on the F&M golf teamcoached by Fred Daum.
That year, she played in every match with 10 of her 13 scoresbeing in the 80s. Her 87.0 average, from the men's tees, was sixthbest on the otherwise all-male team. She also represented F&Min the MAC tournament, becoming the first woman to do so, and wasnamed the team's MVP at the end of the season. In 1981-82, sheplaced third in the Lebanon Valley Invitational with an 84 and wasfourth in the Dickinson Invitational with a 77. Her 87.1 averagewas again sixth best on the team. Cabriele was the first woman toplay in the Eastern Collegiate Athletics Conference tournamentwhere she carded a two-round score of 177 (83-94) against anall-male field. Her junior year saw Cabriele's average drop to 84.4as she played most matches at the #3 position.
The Diplomat team was exceptionally strong her senior year andalthough her average improved to 83.0, she played in the #4position. The team won the MAC championships and qualified for theNCAA Division III Tournament. Once again, Cabriele became the firstwoman to compete in the NCAA tournament on an otherwise all-maleteam and did so with distinction. Following her outstanding career,Cabriele was given a prestigious award by the College for her"Outstanding Achievement in a Single Sport."She graduated in 1984with a degree in government and has worked most recently as asenior account executive with Loughlin Creative in Vienna, Va.Cabriele has also continued to play gold competitively.
In 1991, she won the Virginia State Division I Women's AmateurChampionship. The following year she was a member of the VirginiaState Women's Team. In 1994, she set the woman's course record atFox Chase Golf Club in Denver, Pa, during an alumni golfouting.
